How to Check Your Credit Score

You can check your credit score through several free sources without applying for credit and without hurting your score. Your bank, credit union, credit card issuer, or a credit bureau may offer free score access. The score you see may vary depending on the scoring model used, the bureau whose data was pulled, and the date it was generated. That is normal.

Key takeaways

• Checking your own credit score is generally classified as a soft inquiry, which does not affect your score the way a credit application does.
• Multiple free sources exist, including card issuers, banks, credit unions, and the bureaus themselves.
• There are many scoring models and versions in use. The score you see may not match the score a lender checks.
• A credit score is a summary of your credit report data. Understanding the report behind the score gives you more useful information.
• A score alone cannot tell you whether you will be approved for credit. Lenders set their own approval criteria.

Where can you check your credit score?

Several places may give you access to a credit score at no cost:

Your credit card issuer or bank. Many card issuers and banks now show a credit score on your online account or monthly statement. This is often a FICO Score or VantageScore pulled from one of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion). The score is usually updated monthly.

The credit bureaus directly. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion each offer ways to view credit scores. Some access is free; some features require a paid subscription. The free options vary and can change, so check each bureau's site directly for current offerings.

AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the federally authorized site for free credit report access. AnnualCreditReport.com currently states that free weekly online credit reports are available from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Note that the reports from this site do not automatically include a credit score, but reviewing your report is a useful companion step covered below.

Credit monitoring services. Some services offer free score tracking as part of a broader monitoring product. These may show a VantageScore based on one bureau's data. See the credit monitoring page for more on how those services work.

Not every source uses the same model or the same bureau data. The score you see in one place may be different from what you see somewhere else, and both can be accurate.

Free score sources vs. paid score products

If a score service asks for payment or a trial

Before entering payment information, check whether the score is part of a trial, subscription, credit monitoring package, or identity protection package. A service can still be useful, but the word "free" does not always mean there is no future charge. Read the cancellation terms before signing up.

Free score access has become much more common, but paid products also exist. Here is a general breakdown:

| Type | Cost | What you typically get | |---|---|---| | Card issuer or bank score | Free | One score, often updated monthly, from one bureau | | Bureau free tier | Free | One score, may be limited to one bureau | | Bureau paid subscription | Monthly fee | Scores from multiple bureaus, monitoring alerts | | Credit monitoring service | Free or paid | Score tracking, report alerts, identity monitoring | | Score purchased directly | One-time fee | Score with more detail, may include report |

A free score is often sufficient for general awareness of where your credit stands. A paid product may offer more bureaus, more frequent updates, or more detail, but a higher price does not mean the score shown is the one a specific lender will use.

Why different scores may not match

If you check your score in two places and see two different numbers, that does not necessarily mean something is wrong. Several factors can cause scores to differ:

Different scoring models. FICO and VantageScore are the two most widely known scoring model companies, and each has released multiple versions. FICO Score 8, FICO Score 9, FICO Score 10, VantageScore 3.0, and VantageScore 4.0 are all in use by different lenders and services. Each model may weigh the same information slightly differently. See the FICO vs. VantageScore page for a plain-English comparison.

Different bureaus. Each of the three major bureaus may have slightly different information on file for you, and not all creditors report to all three bureaus. A score based on Experian data may differ from a score based on TransUnion data.

Different dates. Scores change as your report data changes. A score from last month and a score from today may reflect different balances, payments, or account activity.

Different score ranges. Most general consumer credit scores use a range of 300 to 850, but some industry-specific scores use different ranges. Comparing a general score to a mortgage-specific score, for example, may not be meaningful. Check the credit score ranges page to understand how ranges typically work.

All of these differences are normal. If you see a difference between two sources, that difference is often explainable by one or more of the factors above.

Does checking your own score hurt?

Generally, no. Checking your own credit score is usually treated as a soft inquiry. Soft inquiries do not affect credit scores the way hard inquiries do.

A hard inquiry happens when you apply for credit and a lender pulls your report to make a lending decision. Hard inquiries can have a small, temporary effect on your score, depending on the scoring model.

When you check your own score through a consumer-facing service, that check is generally not treated like an application-based hard inquiry and is not used to lower your score.

If you are unsure whether a specific score check counts as a hard or soft inquiry, look for that information in the terms of the service before proceeding. The service should disclose which type of inquiry it uses.

What to check before reacting to a score

A single number can prompt a lot of worry or a false sense of security. Before you react to a score, consider a few questions:

• Is the score current? A score from six months ago may not reflect recent changes to your accounts.
• Which bureau's data was used? If you have a dispute or an error on one bureau's report, a score from a different bureau may not reflect that issue.
• What scoring model was used? A VantageScore and a FICO Score from the same bureau on the same day may differ. Neither is wrong.
• What factors are listed? Most score disclosures include a list of the top factors affecting your score. These factors can point you toward what is influencing your result and what to focus on. See what affects your credit score for a breakdown of common factors.
• Has anything changed recently? A sudden drop usually has a reason. New late payments, a high credit card balance, a new collection account, or recent hard inquiries can all affect a score.

If your score dropped unexpectedly, the next step is almost always to look at your credit reports, not just the score.

Credit score vs. credit report

Your credit score is calculated from the data in your credit report. The report is the source; the score is a summary of what that data suggests about your credit risk.

Checking your score without also reviewing your report is a bit like reading only the back cover of a book. The score tells you approximately where you stand, but the report tells you why.

Your credit reports are available free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Reviewing them regularly can help you:

• Spot errors or outdated information that may be dragging a score down
• Catch unfamiliar accounts that could indicate fraud
• Understand which accounts are helping or not helping your profile
• See which lenders have pulled hard inquiries on your file

See how to read your credit report for a walkthrough of what each section means. You can also check how to get your free credit report for the steps to pull your reports.

Understanding the terms on your report and score disclosure is easier with a reference. The credit score terms glossary covers common vocabulary in plain language.

A simple checklist before applying for credit

If you are checking your score because you are planning to apply for a mortgage, car loan, credit card, or other credit product, this checklist may help you prepare:

• Pull your credit reports from all three bureaus and review them for errors
• Check that all accounts listed are ones you recognize
• Note any late payments, collections, or derogatory marks
• Check your credit utilization (how much of your available revolving credit you are using)
• Look at recent hard inquiries to see if any are unfamiliar
• Note the age of your oldest account and your newest account
• If you find errors, start a dispute before applying if time allows
• Use a scenario tool to explore how changes might affect your score over time

The credit score scenario estimator can help you think through how certain changes, like paying down a balance or opening a new account, may affect your score range, depending on your situation.

What this page does not promise

A few things worth stating plainly:

• Checking your score does not improve it. Awareness is useful, but the score changes based on your credit report data, not based on how often you look.
• No score shown to consumers is guaranteed to be the exact score a specific lender will use. Lenders choose their own models and bureaus.
• A good score does not guarantee approval for any credit product. Lenders use income, debt-to-income ratio, and other factors beyond the score.
• A lower score does not mean accurate negative information can simply be removed. If information is accurate, it typically remains on your report for the time period allowed under federal law.

Next steps

If you are new to checking your score, a reasonable starting point is to pull your free credit reports, review them for accuracy, and then check a free score from your bank, card issuer, or one of the bureaus. Use the score as a general indicator and the report as the detail.

If your score is lower than you expected, look at the factor list that comes with the score disclosure. That list usually tells you the top reasons the score is not higher. From there, you can focus on the factors most within your control, such as payment history and credit utilization.

If your score dropped suddenly, start with your credit reports. A change in your report data almost always explains a change in your score.